John Kerry: “I had hoped that the conference would produce a bill that would be more fiscally responsible than either its House or…”

“I had hoped that the conference would produce a bill that would be more fiscally responsible than either its House or Senate predecessors. However, I regret that in my view it does not achieve that fiscal reform. I voted against final passage of the Senate's farm bill, S. 1541, when the Senate acted on it last month because, while it was improved considerably in some key respects from the bill that the Republican leadership originally introduced, ultimately, it was not the reform package that I believe our Nation needed and had the right to expect. Unfortunately, neither does this conference report provide the improvements that would be needed to secure my support. I understand that the President, with some reservation, is expected to sign into law the conference report now before us. I know that farmers, as they head into the spring planting season, need to know the conditions under which they must operate.”